Wayne Rooney has become the latest pundit to hail the Sunderland skipper
Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka(Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire)
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The enthusiasm around Granit Xhaka’s impact at Sunderland shows no sign of waning.
While the Sky Sports network already called him the best signing of the season, and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher is among a host of stars to offer their praise, Wayne Rooney has also weighed in with his own tribute.
The Manchester United icon and England's second-top all-time goalscorer behind Harry Kane, was speaking on his BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show.
The BBC pundit, an addition to the Match of the Day punditry team this season, said Xhaka was “probably the best signing of the Premier League season.”
Transferred this summer from Leverkusen to Sunderland, promoted to the Premier League, the 33-year-old midfielder from Basel had surprised more than one observer.
After 11 matchdays, Sunderland are much closer to the Champions League than to relegation and a lot of that is down to the impact the Swiss international has had at the Stadium of Light.
Rooney admitted: “At the start, you always wonder if this transfer was the right one, at a newly-promoted club. After having turned the Arsenal supporters against him, the fact that he won back his place in the team showed his strength of character.
“Going through difficult moments, then playing again at such a level with Arsenal, before winning the championship with Leverkusen, that shows what an exceptional player he is.”
Any doubts have been swept away this term and Rooney added: “In the young Sunderland team, Granit Xhaka now acts as a big brother. He is a valuable help for coach Regis Le Bris, playing the role of intermediary between the coach and the dressing room.”